Gala Author Toast, sponsored by ReferenceUSA

Bestselling writers Susan Orlean, Lou Berney, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Delia Owens, Lisa Unger, and Leif Enger will discuss their forthcoming books. A booksigning will follow, with some books given away free and others available for purchase at a generous discount. Raise a glass to celebrate these bestselling writers – festive beverages and light snacks will be served.

Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including Rin Tin Tin, Saturday Night, and The Orchid Thief, which was made into the Academy Award–winning film Adaptation. She recently moved to Los Angeles and became fascinated by a mysterious local crime that has gone unsolved since it was carried out on the night of April 29, 1986: Who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, ultimately burning it to the ground and destroying more than 400,000 books, and perhaps even more perplexing, why? With her characteristic humor, insight, and compassion, Orlean uses this terrible event as a lens through which to tell the story of all libraries — their history, their meaning, and their future as they adapt and redefine themselves in a digital world — in a book that is ultimately a love letter to libraries and their central role in society

Lou Berney

Lou Berney is the author of three previous novels, Gutshot Straight, Whiplash River, and multiple prize-winning The Long and Faraway Gone. His short fiction has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. He teaches at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University.

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, Forever, Interrupted, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, their daughter, and their dog.

Delia Owens

Delia Owens is the co-author of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa--Cry of the Kalahari, The Eye of the Elephant, and Secrets of the Savanna. She currently lives in Idaho, where she continues her support for the people and wildlife of Zambia.

Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is a New York Times and internationally bestselling, award-winning author of 15 novels. Her books have been named “Best of the Year” or top picks by The Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, and Amazon, to name a few. Lisa lives in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with her husband, daughter, and labradoodle.

Leif Enger

Leif Enger was raised in Osakis, Minnesota, and worked as a reporter and producer for Minnesota Public Radio for nearly 20 years before writing his bestselling debut novel Peace Like a River, which won the Independent Publisher Book Award. He lives on a farm in Minnesota with his wife.